Aching Loneliness
by Cho Koume
Summary: It's Kantaro's special day, but nobody is payig attention to him at all. He becomes depressed, and then Ms. Reiko comes by with another assignment. But this one is hard, and his depression becomes a problem. How will this mission end? Good? Or bad?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own rights to the series 'Tactics'. Hmmm…. Once I do more research on the series, I can come up with some better comments to put here! Hee hee…! I can't wait!

Aching loneliness

Kantaro was reluctant to leave the world of the conscious. It was a warm night, and he was quite comfortable, but he lay there, wondering many things. It was his birthday the next morning, and he was excited. Though, all the day, he had acted as if nothing was up, and he found that holding in his excitement was harder than he thought. He stayed up until the sun was beginning to bring light above the horizon. Would Yoko throw him a party? Would anyone get him presents? By the time he saw the sun peek up over the trees, he was finally done thinking and let his eyelids close shut.

"Kantaro? Kantaro, get up!"

"Is he dead?"

"Nah, he's just lazy."

Kantaro felt that he was being shaken, but he ignored the voices that tried to pull him from his dreamless rest. It had not been long since he had closed his eyes to rest, and he wasn't eager to do anything but get rest, finally. Then again, he had a strange feeling that there was something he needed to do that day. Still, he ignored Yoko and Suzu-chan.

"Kantaro! Get up, already! I have a surprise for you!"

That woke him. Immediately, his eyes snapped open and remembered what day it was. He smiled widely, despite his exhaustion and looked towards the door where Yoko was poking her head in.

"I'll be right out!"

"Whatever…"

"He's weird."

"Yup."

His bedroom door closed and Kantaro almost yelled in anticipation. It was his birthday, and he was anxious to see what surprises had been set up for him. Slowly, yet enthusiastically, he rose from his bed and dressed. Things were going well, until he entered the lounging area.

"I'm here! What's the sur…prise?"

Sitting at a small table sat Sugino and Muuchan. Sugino was drinking tea, acting as if he didn't want to be there at all. Muuchan, however, smiled and jumped into Kantaro's arms, earning him a glare from Muuchan's spouse.

"Uh… what are they doing here?"

"That's the surprise! They decided to pay us a visit!"

"Hey, don't say that! I'm only here because Muuchan said she wanted to come!"

"So… that's it? Just a visit?"

The fact that his not-so-nice 'friend' had shown up wasn't what disappointed him the most. Taking a look around the room, he found no streamers, no balloons, no party hats… just Yoko cooking, Sugino drinking, Suzu-chan swooning over Haruka, and Haruka sitting in the corner, ignoring everyone and everything. Kantaro sighed and looked down at Muuchan, the only one who seemed to care that he existed. Some birthday that was.

Sugino was arguing with Yoko about being nice and other things, but Kantaro wasn't listening anymore. He walked past Yoko and set Muuchan softly onto Sugino's lap, and then walked out of the room. All the fighting stopped, and all eyes were on Kantaro until he rounded the corner. They heard his door softly slide shut and looked at .

"What's wrong with him?"

"Yeah, I've never seen his mood swings take effect so early."

"What do you mean? It's nearly six in the morning."

"My point exactly. At the same time, he has been acting funny all week long."

"Do you think he's broken, or something?"

Suzu-chan laughed. Yoko threw a glare at Haruka and then got up and walked to her master's room. There wasn't any noise coming from the room, and when he looked in again, she saw that he was working silently at his desk. He was probably working on one of the many novels Ms. Reiko had asked of him. But, if he never worked on them before, why was he doing them now? Ms. Reiko wasn't even expected to come by that day.

Kantaro never showed any kind of steady work ethic, and he used to do everything and anything to avoid working on his manuscripts, so Yoko was very confused as to why he was acting as strangely as he was. She brought her concerns to Haruka and the others, but they didn't think anything of it.

"Listen! I think there may be something very wrong with him!"

"Tell us something we don't already know."

"Hee hee!"

"Haruka, that's mean! He's your master just like he's mine! You should be concerned, too!"

"Calm down, Yoko… look, I'm sure Ichinomiya is fine."

"But Lord Sugino…"

"I understand your concern…"

Sugino looked at Muuchan, who was pouting in his lap, and found it strange. She was acting worried, also, and he wondered if there really was something wrong with him.

"If it will ease your concern, just keep a close watch on him. He'll pull out of it in no time at all, you'll see!"

"Just keep an eyes on him, huh…? Well, that shouldn't be too hard, considering-"

Just then, the group heard the front door open and in walked Ms. Reiko, smile and all. She was holding onto a thick file.

"Oh, no… Ms. Reiko, what're you doing here?"

"Well that isn't a very nice way to greet a guest, Yoko!"

"I'm sorry… it's just that I wasn't expecting you to come by today. It's your day off, isn't it?"

"Yes, well… I came by to see Kantaro."

"Is it another assignment?"

Ms. Reiko smiled at Haruka. She still had a crush on him. Suzu-chan sure didn't like her dreamy stare, though, so she looked away.

"I'm afraid so. Man, on this day, too… how unfortunate."

"Eh?"

"Where is Mr. Ichinomiya, Yoko?"

"He's in his room. I'll announce your arrival."

"Thank you, dear."

Ms. Reiko followed Yoko to Kantaro's room, also carrying a tray of tea, and waited outside while she went in. From outside the door, Ms. Reiko couldn't help but notice how softly and strangely Kantaro was speaking. It made her wonder.

"Kantaro, Ms. Reiko is here to see you."

"Yes, please let her in."

Yoko came back out and Ms. Reiko went in, and asked her to close the door behind her. She did, and left Yoko standing out in the hall, worried. Haruka sensed her discomfort, and everyone else followed. They pressed their ears to the door and listened.

Just by looking at him, Ms. Reiko could tell something was wrong. He sat sluggishly at the small table in the center of the room, and he moved and spoke slower than usual. She also could help but notice the deep, dark circles forming under his usually bright eyes. Now, his red eyes seemed dull and certainly not energetic. He slowly poured her some tea and then rose from his seat. He went to his desk, and returned to place a stack of papers on her side of the table.

"What is all this?"

"One of the manuscripts I've neglected to hand you."

"What? You've seriously finished it?"

"Yes. It didn't take long to complete."

"Your eyes say differently."

Kantaro looked up at her sadly, and then sighed and averted his gaze.

"Have you lost a lot of sleep over this?"

"No. I've been working during the morning and afternoons."

"Then why do you look so exhausted?"

Yoko and Haruka, on the other side of the door, were just as eager to hear the answer.

"I… have had a little trouble sleeping, is all."

"Really? What is a 'little' trouble?"

"I have only managed to get about two hours of sleep a night."

"For how long?"

"…About a week now."

"I see… I'm sorry to hear that."

So was everyone else. Haruka's brow knit in contemplation. He had heard someone walking around the house during the late hours of the night, lately, but he didn't think Kantaro was the culprit. He was still just a human, and humans needed a certain amount of sleep each night in order to remain healthy. He wondered what was wrong with his, dare he even think it, master.

"Ms. Reiko… what are you here for? You should be enjoying your day off."

Silently, she pushed a small envelope across the table towards him. He looked at it a moment before opening it. His eyes widened a little and he looked at the woman smiling in front of him.

"Ms. Reiko…"

"Just a little gift for a special young man."

Sugino raised an eyebrow.

"Is she hitting on him?"

Haruka hit him on the head and then kept listening.

"Ms. Reiko…"

"No need to thank me! I was happy to…"

She was surprised to see him push the envelope back to her.

"What's the matter?"

"I can't accept this."

"Why not?"

"It's just too much…"

"Oh, come now. I've never known you to turn away money before! Plus, you need money to buy food, right? With so many visitors coming by, I'm sure-"

"Please don't give me this…"

Before Kantaro could pull his hand back, Ms. Reiko took hold of it. She turned his hand over and placed the envelope back into it.

"Just take it. I'll take offense if you try to give it back."

Finally, he gave in, and stuffed the envelope into a box on his desk. Ms. Reiko was not happy with his attitude that day.

"Kantaro, what's wrong?"

"I don't know… I just can't sleep at night."

"I know that part, but what else."

"…Well…"

"Go on."

"It's just, there hasn't been a lot of business lately, and I'm bored. Aside from that, a lot of people have been coming over, and…"

And none of them cared about him at all. That's what he wanted to say, but he smiled weakly and shook his head.

"No, it's nothing. Why don't you tell me your story."

"Story?"

"It's not like you to stop by unless there is business to discuss."

She didn't JUST stop by because of that, but also to give him his birthday present. However, since he was so focussed on something else, and wasn't going to tell her, she decided to show him the file.

"According to my sources, there is a house in the higher-status residential district that is supposedly haunted. People say that whoever enters never comes out. Some say they are driven mad, to the point of death."

"What proof of that is there?"

"Apparently, the last person to have lived there wrote about it. It was a suicide note, telling of the horrible things that happened to him. He was never found or heard from again. Right now the house is uninhabited."

"I see…"

Haruka listened even more intently. He could tell Kantaro wouldn't say no to the case, however, he was most surprised to hear an objection from the other.

"Don't go today."

"What?"

"There is no reason for you to go there today. It's your day, and you deserve to rest. You're obviously not in fit condition to go, anyway."

"If I don't go today, the case will bother me until I go, so I'd just better get it over with.

Yoko was fighting against the others in the hall. She was concerned with his health, after hearing the conversation, and wanted to go in there and hit him. But, he seemed to know she was there, already, and called for her.

"Yoko."

She gasped and pushed her captor, Sugino away. Yoko opened the door and looked in, trying to act innocent.

"Y-yes Kantaro?"

"Get Haruka."

Haruka looked in, also trying to act innocent.

"I'm here. What is it?"

"I'm going. Feel free to stay behind."

Haruka wasn't about to let the boy go off on his own after what he just heard. And despite Suzu-chan's complaints, he rose from the floor and put on a serious face.

"I'm coming.


	2. Chapter 2

It was early afternoon by the time Kantaro was finished collecting information and he and Haruka were standing out front of the large, abandoned mansion. The two of them were just standing there, and neither said a word for the longest time. Haruka looked from the house to Kantaro, worriedly.

On the surface, it looked like Kantaro was checking the house over. Usually, he would scout the place out, trying to make observations before proceeding inside to investigate, but the look on the boy's face betrayed that theory. His face was blank, and his stance and the downward curve of his mouth suggested that he didn't want to be there at all. Haruka sighed and finally broke the silence.

"Lets go."

"Eager to get out of here, huh?"

"No, I mean lets go eat."

"What?"

Kantaro, at last, reacted a little, and turned towards the demon-eating goblin. Said goblin was standing at an angle with his arms over his head, looking bored.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, you haven't eaten in a while, right? Do you expect to perform an exorcism on an empty stomach?"

Kantaro put on his stern face.

"I'm fine."

"Liar."

That wasn't what Kantaro wanted to hear. He turned away from Haruka and started walking towards the house. Figuring that he wasn't going to turn back, Haruka settled for sticking close to the boy. They made their way up to the rusted door, which refused to open. Kantaro was struggling.

"Do you want to talk about anything, Kantaro?"

"Not now, Haruka."

"If not now, then when?"

"I said not now!"

Kantaro kicked the door, hard, and it fell inward. When the door hit the old floor, it kicked up a lot of dust. Haruka shielded his face, but when he opened his eyes again, Kantaro was limping inside. Haruka rushed to his side and held onto his shoulders.

"You overdid it."

"We should split up now, Haruka."

"Don't ignore me! And definitely don't ignore your injury! You have to sit down before you really hurt yourself!"

"Stop it…"

Kantaro's head was lowered, and he spoke in a low, dangerous tone. Haruka didn't know how to respond, but he wasn't about to let go of the boy, as he feared he had injured his leg when he kicked the door down. But, Kantaro wasn't letting him take care of him, even though he rarely did so. Ever. Even then, as he tried to lead the boy away to a place where he could sit, Kantaro was fighting against him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Just let me go and do what I tell you!"

"You're not making sense! Wouldn't it make more sense to stay together? Especially when your leg is-"

"I just want to get this over with so you can go back to your friends, and so I could…"

So he could what? As far as he could see, nobody wanted him to be around. On his own birthday, which he knew everyone was informed of, the only ones who had bothered to show any speck of concern for him was his slave-driver of paperwork and a monster who was sort of cheating on her 'husband'. He knew he didn't want to go back there then… it was too lonely…

"Kantaro… what is wrong?"

"Everything… I-I can't go back there, Haruka…"

"What? Go back where? Home?"

"Home… home is where the heart is, but my heart is breaking…"

"So, what's the problem?"

A crazed smile snaked its way to Kantaro's face, and it startled Haruka.

"Haven't you noticed…? Everyone who goes there goes to see you… and before you, it was for Yoko."

"Is that what all this nonsense is about? You feel neglected? Geeze… you humans are pathetic! Get over it, Kantaro!"

"…"

"Look, you're not alone! This is just like any other day, but why did you pick now to wimp out on me?"

"You don't understand!"

Kantaro broke free of Haruka's hold and limped away as fast as he could into a dark corridor. After suffering from slight shock, Haruka cursed and ran after him. He could tell that Kantaro's mental state was fragile, and he decided that as soon as he found the boy, he would drag him back home and let Yoko smack some sense into him. Haruka wasn't Kantaro's keeper; he wasn't his babysitter!

Though, as he stomped down the hall, he stopped a moment to think. Why HAD Kantaro been acting strangely? The whole week previous, the kid had been jumping around, excited as ever, but for what? Haruka was missing something, and he knew he had to figure it out. Then it hit him, hard.

Not long after he had gotten used to living in his new home, Haruka was sitting on the back deck with Kantaro, eating. The boy was talking about this and that, but the demon-eater was too busy eating to want to pay attention. Then, the boy mentioned something about birthdays. He told him that he celebrated Yoko's on the day that he and her had become friends. Haruka's would be celebrated on the anniversary of his unsealment. Suddenly, Haruka felt like a jerk. He remembered what day it was, and broke out into a run.

Kantaro has gotten tired and slipped into a room in the first hallway he ran down. He could hear running footsteps coming closer, and then Haruka's voice. Kantaro wanted to yell out, but he didn't. He knew it was childish, but he didn't care. He was out of breath and his leg hurt a lot. When he heard Haruka pass the room, Kantaro finally let his weakness show, and slid down against the door. He let his contained tears fall and he sobbed as loudly as he could. He didn't want to feel neglected, but he did.

Kantaro had never been a popular person. People always teased him because he said he could see monsters. No one believed him, and even went as far as calling him a freak and throwing small stones. Though it was tough to go through during the day, by night, his monster friends would show up and talk him into a better mood. But as he grew older, he was running out of places to hide from his pain. If he showed his hurt emotions in front of Yoko and Haruka, they would probably scold him for being foolish, or laugh at his immaturity.

So, Kantaro let himself cry. The tears, however, were starting to feel cool against his heated cheek, and soon, he felt himself shivering. Last he checked, it was a warm day, but he felt so cold, it was like death was holding him in its icy grip. For a moment, his sobs subsided, and the cold felt soothing. He felt like he could let go of everything… but it was not as it seemed.

In the silence, there was suddenly a chilling voice calling out to him. Kantaro jolted and opened his eyes. The room was suddenly glowing with a red aura, and the cold was starting to become intoxicating. His chest hurt, but he could barely move to apply pressure to try and relieve the pain. In front of him stood a tall, pale maiden. She was holding a small ribbon in her hand. Kantaro let his tears fall even more as he found he couldn't move at all, and the woman was coming towards him, holding out the ribbon.

"D-don't…"

"Don't worry, child… I'll take good care of you."

A quiet scream pierced the air, and struck Haruka still as a stone. There was no way he could not recognize the voice, and he looked around a minute to try and figure out where it had come from. Kantaro was in trouble, and it made him even more nervous when he didn't hear anything else after that. There was no noise following the scream, no calling of his name, and no indication of what had befallen the boy.


	3. Chapter 3

Haruka practically flew down the hallways. Though they were too thin for him to spread his wings and fly, literally, his goblin abilities gave him great speed, even more so, since his master could be in great danger. He scanned each room carefully, but didn't sense anything, at first. Then, as he was passing by one of the hallways near the door, he sensed Kantaro's familiar aura. He immediately head into the third room, and threw open the door.

He expected to see Kantaro in there, but there was no sign of him. There was a residual aura, which matched his lingering there, but not the physical form. Haruka was about to turn away until he spotted something shimmering on the floor. He gasped, and ran to pick up the trinket. It was Kantaro's rosary. This discovery scared Haruka to no end, for, like him and his rice bowl, Kantaro never went anywhere without his beads. The boy even slept with them, for goodness sake! Just then, Haruka heard the floorboards above him creak, and Kantaro's energy seemed to be coming from there as well. Kantaro was in the room above that one!

Haruka looped the rosary around his arm and ran to the front of the house where he had seen the stairs. Unfortunately, as he tried to climb them, he found himself unable to. A red barrier had been set up to stop him, but Haruka was in no mood to accept it. He took out his long, powerful staff and tore the barrier apart, leaving no trace of the darker energy as he ran up the long steps. There was no doubt in his mind that a demon was trying to stop him, and he was becoming even more afraid for the young boy with the scar on his chest. He must have been in terrible pain.

Haruka, after a moment of searching, found the room directly above the one where he had located the beads, and stood outside the door a moment. He could see another strong force keeping the door closed, not allowing his entry, but he knew the boy was on the other side. Kantaro's weak, quiet voice was speaking on the other side, and though Haruka couldn't hear what was being said, he knew he had to get into that room.

Once again, Haruka took out his staff and blasted the barrier in his way. The door was now accessible, but once he thrust open the door, he stopped dead. Kantaro was sitting near the window in the back of the room, and there wasn't a demon around. Still, Haruka sensed a demon near, and the feel of it grew stronger as he entered the room and took a step towards Kantaro. The boy had his head down and he spoke sop softly that the demon-eater still couldn't hear him. What Haruka found strange was that the boy was holding onto a lit candle, and a red ribbon was tied around his neck. Hesitantly, Haruka took another step closer.

"Kantaro? Hey…"

The boy looked up enough so Haruka could see that his eyes were glazed over, and his face was pale. The boy was looking right at him, but it was like he couldn't see him. Then, Kantaro smiled weakly, and somewhat freakily as he spoke up.

"Happy birthday…to you… Happy birthday… to you…"

Kantaro looked back down to the candle again, still smiling. Haruka was creeped out. Kantaro wasn't responding to his calls at all, and he started to sense another presence somewhere in the room.

"Happy birthday dear… Kantaro… Happy birthday…to you…"

Kantaro chuckled, and the smile deepened. Haruka had his eyes fixed on the boy, he hadn't noticed a ghost woman had appeared. Haruka finally noticed her as she clapped her hands. She was smiling at Kantaro, and then she walked around Haruka and stood behind Kantaro. She was evil. Taking up his staff, Haruka glared at her.

"You! Stay away from him!"

"Hmm? Who are you?"

She looked down at Kantaro, who was looking weaker by the minute, especially since she had gotten so close. Still, he was smiling.

"Oh, I see… you must be Haruka."

"How do you know my name?"

"Kantaro told me. He told me many things… Like what a horrible life he had led, and what his dreams are."

"What did you do to Kantaro?"

"I gave him what he wanted…"

"What do you mean?"

The woman looked down at Kantaro and smiled. She softly ran her long, white fingers through his soft hair as she spoke.

"Right now, he's trapped in a world of his own creation. He's surrounded by people who love him and listen to him… He's having such a wonderful time at his party."

Haruka rose his staff, angrily.

"Don't you dare touch him!"

She didn't pull her hand back. Instead, she took hold of the collar of his shirt and pulled him to his feet. He leaned heavily on his right leg, and the other one looked like it should hurt a lot, but Kantaro's expression was blank.

"Now,… do you really want to deny this child the attention he has wanted ever since he was a child? Do you wish to cause him such pain?"

"Demon… the world Kantaro is in now is not real! Something that isn't real cannot create true happiness!"

"Oh?"

"I demand that you let me speak with him!"

"Why? So you can have him tell you, himself, that he wants you to leave him be? Is that what you want? To hear it for yourself?"

"Just do it."

The woman stared at him for a while, and then her hand softly ran over the red ribbon around his neck. It shone brightly for a moment, and when the light faded, Kantaro's expression changed into one filled with pain. The boy took in a deep gulp of air and grabbed the front of his robes hard. The ribbon was the source of the demon, and it WAS causing Kantaro pain.

"Kantaro!"

Haruka took a step forward and extended his hand, but Kantaro yelled at him.

"No! …S-stay where you are, Haruka…"

"Kantaro… do you know what is happening to you now? You're being possessed!"

"I-I know… Haruka… please stay back…"

Kantaro winced, and almost fell to his knees, his leg giving out. Then, he coughed hoarsely, and when he looked up, a small trickle of blood was falling down over his chin.

"Kantaro! Hold on a moment longer! I'll find a way to help you!"

"No… she's too strong… She uses this ribbon to control her victims… and uses their bodies to do horrible things, Haruka! There is only one way…"

"Alright… tell me what to do!"

"K-kill me…"

Haruka couldn't speak. Kantaro was a noble boy, but to ask his servant, his friend to do that…

"What are you looking at me like that for! Kill me, and destroy the demon inside me!"

"No… I can't do that."

"Stop standing there, Haruka! Hit me with your lightning now! I can't hold her for very long!"

"No! I refuse!"  
"That's an order, Haruka!"

Kantaro was screaming at him, now. Tears were coming in rivers down his cheeks, but still, Haruka couldn't move. As a servant, he could not refuse an order from his master, but Haruka wished he could refuse. He didn't want to kill a boy he was just starting to get used to. Not only would Yoko be devastated, so would Muuchan, and Sugino, too, on some level. It would kill himself, too… Haruka didn't want to do it, but unconsciously, he found himself raising his staff towards Kantaro. His hands were shaking, and his heart was pounding in his chest.

Just then, Kantaro yelled out, and the ribbon was glowing again. The demon woman appeared behind Kantaro, and held him tightly in her arms. Pain shot through all of Kantaro, and Haruka couldn't stand the sight.

"How dare you try to betray me, after I gave you what you wanted! If I go, I'll drag you down to hell with me!"

"Kantaro…"

Haruka's staff lowered a little. Kantaro was losing consciousness quickly, and so he yelled out once more.

"Haruka!"

Haruka shut his eyes tightly, letting his tears fall, and from his staff, dark bolts of lightning filled the room, and all of them hit Kantaro at once. The demon screamed before disappearing, and Kantaro screamed, also. The screaming didn't stop until Haruka banished his lightning and looked up. Kantaro was swaying on his feet, eyes dark and half-lidded. Haruka took a step towards him, and that's when the boy's body fell back, and out the window. The demon-eater ran to said window, and looked out just as Kantaro's body hit the cold, liquid surface.

There was probably no hope that the boy survived, but if there was a chance, even the smallest of one, he was going to hope on it. That's when he jumped out the window and spread his wings. He slowed himself down a little, and then hid the black wings away as he dove deep into the water. It was chilling, and the cold nipped against his skin, and made his clothes and body heavy, but he didn't stop swimming. In the darkness, he saw Kantaro sinking, and he held out his hand.

Moments later, he broke the surface with a still, pale body in his arms. Haruka struggled to stay above the water as he swam to the edge, but was relieved to have made it that far. He pushed Kantaro over the edge and then climbed out, himself. Then, he took the boy in his arms again and brought him a good distance away, in the light of the now-setting sun, which proved to be slightly warmer than in the shade. Haruka set the boy on the grass.

Kantaro wasn't moving. The boy wasn't responding to him, and Haruka couldn't see his chest moving at all. He lowered himself and pressed his ear against the boy's chest, listening for a heartbeat, but when he didn't hear any, he pressed harder. There was nothing. Kantaro's heart had stopped altogether, and Haruka blamed himself.

Haruka had become friends with Kantaro after all that time together, and he swore to protect the boy. However, when he was ordered to unleash his power, and strike the boy, he did. It didn't matter that he didn't want to. It was still his lightning that killed him. Though anyone else would have given up long ago, Haruka hated giving up. If his lightning stopped Kantaro's heart, maybe it could restart it.

Haruka quickly pulled apart the top of Kantaro's robes so his pale, unmoving chest was, and Haruka set his hands on top. He pumped his lightning through him, but it didn't have any effect at first.

"Come on, Kantaro, don't do this! Wake up! Wake up, Kantaro! Open your eyes… God, please open your eyes! Kantaro, don't die!"

Haruka kept pulsing his lightning through the boy, but it didn't seem to be working. Haruka was losing hope, and Kantaro was…

Haruka stopped his actions and collapsed atop the boy, holding him close.

"Damn it, Kantaro… open your eyes! I'm sorry for how I acted…! Please… come back to us… it'll be different, I promise!"

In a final move, Haruka gathered all the energy he could into one last, big shock, which went through both of them. Once it faded, Haruka was crying, until he suddenly felt the body in his arms jolt. He looked down, and Kantaro was finally breathing, or trying to, at least. He was shivering, and huddling close to Haruka's chest. Haruka let the boy cuddle close, and he ran a hand through the boy's wet hair, allowing his keeper to recuperate.

"Kantaro… thank goodness…"

"H-Haruka… th-thank… you…"


End file.
